Abstract
This article explores strategy-making modes within organisations. The implications of certain strategy-making modes for the responsible leader as an architect or change agent are highlighted. The study on which this article is based, showed that the use of emergent strategy-making is as prevalent as the use of deliberate strategy-making. This article reports on the thinking of organisational leaders, managers and non-managers regarding strategy-making processes and records empirical findings from mixed method research. It was found that emergent strategy-making is associated with quick response and adaptation to environmental changes, more autonomous decisions and actions, less control and higher intangibility whereas the deliberate strategy is known for its clear objectives, articulated vision and direction and specific ends and means. It is recommended that organisational leaders should take cognisance of the growing use of emergent strategy-making as well as its characteristics in facilitating effective governance. A knowledge and understanding of these characteristics of strategy-making modes should be sought to serve as guideline for organisational leaders who want to be responsive and responsible in all their actions areas for future research.
The data used in this study forms part of data that was collected in the course of a doctoral thesis completed in 2008 and as such has been approved through stringent University of Pretoria processes verifying that the data and collection methods were ethical.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Andersen, T. J. (2000). Strategic planning, autonomous actions and corporate performance. Long Range Planning, 33, 184–200.
Andersen, T. J., & Nielsen, B. B. (2009). Adaptive strategy making: The effects of emergent and intended strategy modes. European Management Review, 6, 96–106.
Andrews, K. R. (1981). Replaying the board’s role in formulating strategy, Harvard Business review, May–June, pp. 18–28.
Ansoff, H. I. (1965). Corporate strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Ansoff, H. I. (1991). Critique of Henry Mintzberg’s ‘The Design School: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic planning’. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), 449–461.
Balogun, J., Huff, A. S., & Johnson, P. (2003). Three responses to the methodological challenges of studying strategizing. Journal of Management Studies, 40, 197–224.
Boisot, M. H. (Ed.). (1995). Information space: A framework for learning in organizations, institutions and culture. London: Routledge.
Boyd, B. K. (1991). Strategic planning and financial performance: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Management Studies, 28, 353–374.
Brews, P. J., & Hunt, M. R. (1999). Learning to plan and planning to learn: Resolving the planning school/learning school debate. Strategic Management Journal, 20(10), 889–913.
Burgelman, R. A. (1983). A model of the interaction of strategic behavior, corporate context, and the concept of strategy. Academy of Management Review, 8(1), 61–70.
Burgelman, R. A. (1988). Strategy making as a social learning process: The case of internal corporate venturing. Interfaces, 18, 74–85.
Burgelman, R. A. (1996). A process model of strategic business exit: Implications for an evolutionary perspective on strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 17, 193–214.
Chandler, A. D. (1962). Strategy and structure. Chapters in the history of the industrial enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2001). Business Research Methods (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Dane, F. C. (1990). Research methods. Belmont, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing Company.
Fredrickson, J. (1984). The competitiveness of strategic decision processes: extension, observations, future directions. Academy of Management Journal, 27, 445–466.
Hamel, G. (1996). Strategy as revolution. Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug, pp. 69–82.
Harrington, R. J., Lemak, D. J., Reed, R., & Kendall, K. W. (2004). A question of fit: The links among environment, strategy formulation, and performance. Journal of Business and Management, 10(1), 15–38.
Heracleous, L. (1998). Strategic thinking or strategic planning? Long Range Planning, 31(3), 481–487.
Hofer, C. W., & Schendel, D. (1978). Strategy formulation: Analytical concepts. St. Paul: West Publishing.
Huber, George. P. (1990). A theory of the effects of advanced information technologies on organizational design, intelligence, and decision making. Academy of Management Review, 15, 47–71.
Idenburg, P. J. (1993). Four styles of strategy development. Long range planning, 26(6), 132–137.
Inkpen, A., & Choudhury, N. (1995). The seeking of strategy where it is not: Toward a theory of strategy absence. Strategic Management Journal, 16, 313–323.
Institute of Directors (IoD). (2002). Second King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa. Bedfordview: Institute of Directors in Southern Africa.
Institute of Directors (IoD). (2009). Third King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa. Bedfordview: Institute of Directors in Southern Africa.
International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). (2004). Enterprise Governance: Getting the Balance Right.. Accessed March 29, 2010.
Janczak, S. (2005). The strategic decision-making process in organisations. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 3, 58–70.
Julian, S. D., & Ofori-Dankwa, J. C. (2008). Toward an integrative cartography of two strategic issues diagnosis frameworks. Strategic Management Journal, 29, 91–114.
Knights, D., & Mueller, F. (2004). Strategy as a ‘project’: overcoming dualisms in the strategy debate. European Management Review, 1, 55–61.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical research – planning and design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Maak, T. (2007). Responsible leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the emergence of social capital. Journal of Business Ethics, 74, 329–343.
Maak, T., & Pless, N. M. (2006). Responsible leadership in a stakeholder society—A relational perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 66, 99–115.
Mintzberg, H. (1987). Crafting strategy. Harvard Business Review, 65(4), 66–75.
Mintzberg, H. (1990). The design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 11(3), 171–195.
Mintzberg, H. (1994). The rise and fall of strategic planning: Reconceiving roles for planning, plans, planners. New York: The Free Press (Macmillan).
Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B., & Lampel, J. (1998). Strategy Safari: The complete guide through the wilds of strategic management. London: FT Prentice Hall.
Mintzberg, H., & McHugh, A. (1985). Strategy formulation in an adhocracy. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30, 160–197.
Mintzberg, H., Quinn, J. B., & Ghoshal, S. (1995). The strategy process. London: Prentice Hall.
Mintzberg, H., & Waters, J. (1985). Of strategies deliberate and emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6, 257–272.
Monks, R. A. G., & Minow, N. (2001). Corporate governance (2nd ed.). Malden, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Nag, R., Hambrick, D. C., & Chen, M. J. (2007). What is strategic management, really? Inductive derivation of a consensus definition of the field. Strategic Management Journal, 28, 935–955.
Parnell, J. A. (2000). Reframing the combination strategy debate: Defining forms of combination. Journal of Applied Management Studies, 9(1), 33–54.
Prahalad, C. K., & Hamel, G. (1990). The core competence of the organization. Harvard Business Review, 68, 79–91.
Quinn, J. B. (1980). Managing Strategic Change. Sloan Management Review, Summer, 3–20.
Rossouw, G. J., & Van Vuuren, L. (2007). Business ethics (3rd ed.). Cape Town: Oxford University Press.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research methods for business students (4th ed.). London: Pearson Education Limited.
Schendel, D. E., & Hofer, C. W. (1979). Strategic management: A new view of business policy and planning. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.
Steiner, G. A. (1979). Strategic planning: What every manager must know. New York: Free Press.
Volberda, H. W. (2004). Crisis in strategy: Fragmentation, integration or synthesis. European Management Review, 1, 35–42.
Whittington, R. (2004). Strategy after modernism: Recovering practice. European Management Review, 1, 62.
Wilson, D. C., & Jarzabkowski, P. (2004). Thinking and acting strategically: New challenges for interrogating strategy. European Management Review, 1, 14–20.
Wooldridge, B., & Floyd, S. W. (1994). Dinosaurs or dynamos? Recognizing middle management’s strategic role. Academy of Management Executive, 8(4), 47–57.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Maritz, R., Pretorius, M., Plant, K. (2011). Exploring the Interface Between Strategy-Making and Responsible Leadership. In: Pless, N.M., Maak, T. (eds) Responsible Leadership. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3995-6_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3995-6_9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-3994-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-3995-6
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)